OSPBER 2Z:Accelerated German, Second and Third Quarters

Covers
GERLANG 2 and 3 in one quarter. Qualifies students for participation in an internship following the study quarter. Emphasis is on communicative patterns in everyday life and in the German work environment, including preparation for interviews.

OSPBER 3B:German Language and Culture

Completion and refinement of First-Year grammar, vocabulary building, reading literature and news, writing skills, esp. journal. Extensive use of current materials, such as local Berlin and national news, and emphasis on building speaking skills for everyday situations and discussions.

OSPBER 17:Split Images: A Century of Cinema

20th-century German culture through film. The silent era, Weimar, and the instrumentalization of film in the Third Reich. The postwar era: ideological and aesthetic codes of DEFA, new German cinema, and post-Wende filmmaking including
Run Lola Run and
Goodbye Lenin. Aesthetic aspects of the films including image composition, camera and editing techniques, and relation between sound and image.

OSPBER 21B:Intermediate German

German language skills for Intermediate students. Refinement of German grammar; vocabulary building, writing practice via journal and essays; German culture, including current news and issues, literature and films. Special emphasis on comprehension and speaking skills for discussions, everyday situations, and in-class presentations. Prerequisite: completion of first-year German.

OSPBER 28:German Opera

This course is designed to provide an introduction to opera in general and German opera in particular. The syllabus is linked specifically to productions of German operas currently being presented at Berlin's opera houses. During class we will prepare ourselves for the various performances by discussing each work in detail, looking at the libretto, analyzing the relationship between music and text, listening to recordings, and reading secondary literature. We will also share our post-performance impressions. The principal aim of the course is informed appreciation of the genre of opera.

OSPBER 29:Topics in German Music and Culture

Weimar Culture The recommended textbook for this independent study is Weimar Republic Sourcebook, ed. Anton Kaes (Berkeley: U of California P, 1994), an excellent collection of contemporaneous texts that is still in print and available as a reasonably priced paperback. Topics for particular study could include "expressionism," "phenomenology," "Neue Sachlichkeit," the Bauhaus, "epic theater," proletarian art, and early German cinema, more or less following the organization of the Sourcebook. The syllabus will be tailored to any relevant cultural events in Berlin and neighboring cities planned for the quarter in question. Students will be encouraged to base their written projects on these events and on research at local archives, such as the Deutsche Kinemathek and the Bauhaus-Museum. Trips to institutions in other cities (Dessau, Weimar, etc.) could also be considered. Primarily in English, but some topics might require German. n nThe Symphony Material covered in this independent study
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Weimar Culture The recommended textbook for this independent study is Weimar Republic Sourcebook, ed. Anton Kaes (Berkeley: U of California P, 1994), an excellent collection of contemporaneous texts that is still in print and available as a reasonably priced paperback. Topics for particular study could include "expressionism," "phenomenology," "Neue Sachlichkeit," the Bauhaus, "epic theater," proletarian art, and early German cinema, more or less following the organization of the Sourcebook. The syllabus will be tailored to any relevant cultural events in Berlin and neighboring cities planned for the quarter in question. Students will be encouraged to base their written projects on these events and on research at local archives, such as the Deutsche Kinemathek and the Bauhaus-Museum. Trips to institutions in other cities (Dessau, Weimar, etc.) could also be considered. Primarily in English, but some topics might require German. n nThe Symphony Material covered in this independent study could be adjusted to the student's interest and knowledge, depending on his/her level of musical literacy. He/she could focus on cultural history or on more technical, analytical issues. The aim will be to trace the history of the genre from its roots in the early 18th century to the present day using mainly works from the established repertory as examples. Visits to live performances in Berlin may also be included. n nBeethoven in German Culture Following last year's elections in Germany, the draft coalition contract included the following statement: "The 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020 offers excellent opportunities for profiling German culture at home and abroad. Preparing for this important anniversary is thus of national concern." How and why did Beethoven become so crucially important in German culture? In trying to answer this question, the course will begin with a survey of Beethoven's life and works, and then focus on his legacy via key moments in reception history. Primarily in English, but some topics might require German.

OSPBER 30:Berlin vor Ort: A Field Trip Module

The cultures of Berlin as preserved in museums, monuments, and architecture. Berlin's cityscape as a narrative of its history from baroque palaces to vestiges of E. German communism, from 19th-century industrialism to grim edifices of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

OSPBER 31:Ways of Hearing: Exploring Berlin Through its Music

Introduction to the diverse Berlin music scene and its interwoven roots, exploring the intimate connections between music and German identity. Why music of all kinds is of such profound importance in Germany and how the German musical tradition has influenced the entire world and has, in turn, integrated impulses from many different cultures. Enrollment limited.